Cape Town - Xolani Sithubeni has worked at The Colosseum in Century City, Cape Town, for the past 11 years, where he mans the parking booth.
He has always maintained a positive disposition despite a 13-hour shift, six days a week. He has an unmatched passion for his job and has captured the hearts and imaginations of all who’ve come into contact with him over the years.
"Xolani always smiles," said Ingrid van der Walt, a content contributor for Expat Explore.
"He treats everyone the same. No matter who you are, you will get a smile. He goes out of his way to make life easier for everyone. He also just wants to make sure that everyone around him is happy and safe. He’s taught me that no matter what you do, you have to be passionate about it and proud of it."
Hundreds of people pass through Xolani’s booth everyday, but very few understand the hardship behind his smile and the personal struggles that have created the man he is today.
In 2001, Xolani came to Cape Town to live with his sister who was also struggling at the time. He made the move to escape the cycle of poverty he grew up in and to find a job to support himself, only to find the grass isn’t always greener.
He was without work for three years and spent two years without any financial support. Cape Town was his beacon of hope, but after being unable to support himself for three years, he fell into depression and reluctantly moved back to the Eastern Cape where he worked on a farm for another three years.
"I was praying very strongly that God would bring me back to Cape Town and provide me with a job. I needed a job because I was suffering. I just wanted to live and eat and not go to bed without food," Sithubeni said.
Van der Walt continued: "He got this job and it changed everything for him. He has a purpose and loves working with people. He’s such a good soul."
"I just carry on about my life," Sithubeni said. "I enjoy working here. I feel one hundred percent happy. I have people supporting me. You have to enjoy your job if God saved your life."
He has been overwhelmed by the fruits of his friendliness, he said.
"I get so many gifts for Christmas. I’m always thinking, why do they buy gifts for me? I don’t know why! I’m just praying for those things. I’m here for these people, I can carry on with life. People are so good for me. I can carry on for the job, for life."
Sithubeni dreams of building a home for himself and his girlfriend. Over the last 11 years, he's managed to save up for some of the building materials.
"My dream for my life, I can say is, I don’t want to rich, first of all. If I can just get a place to stay so I can survive here in Cape Town. Then I won’t have to go back to the Eastern Cape. So that is my dream. I faced difficult times. But now I’m busy building a small house. That’s why I work so hard. No matter what happens, I’ll have a home."
Sithubeni's story inspired Van der Walt and Cherie Ricketts to set up a crowdfund for him to build his home.
They hope to raise R100 000 towards the R600 000 it will cost to build Sithubeni's home. They have managed to rake in R29 560.27 so far.
"From the moment I met Xolani eight years ago I saw something special in him, all what I wanted to do was help him for some reason," Ricketts said.
"After every time I saw Xolani I had this emotional wave come over me which made me look at my life and if I’m doing enough to help others in need.
"His story made me realise how blessed I am with my life and that I need to make a difference in this world even if I can only help one person. Ingrid and I know that this campaign target is a big one, but how wonderful if we could make this humble, amazing man’s dream come true? We would like to challenge every person who Xolani has ever helped and smiled at, to make a small contribution to this campaign and lets all make his dream come true!"
To support the campaign and donate, click here.